During her interview with CBS news, the 64-year-old shares that she has been fighting the disease for years.

B. Smith (nee Barbara Smith) revealed Thursday morning in an interview with CBS News that she has been battling Alzheimer's disease.

The legendary model -- who was one of the first African Americans to appear on the cover of Mademoiselle before opening her own restaurant chain in New York City -- shared how she has been dealing with the illness for years, telling the network's medical correspondent, Dr. Jon LaPook, that being diagnosed with the disease "meant something bad, really bad to me."